Fresh Pair Of Eyes
by theilluminatidreamteam
Summary: Ezra Fitz learns of his father's passing, which means he has to face something he thought he left behind; his family. Along with the daunting memory of his family comes the loss of an old flame. With Aria Montgomery at his side, can Ezra forget the temptations of his past?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a new thing I decided up, based on the entrance of Ezra's mother and brother into the PLL storyline. Don't worry; I'm not going to mess with Ezria... too badly. Hope you guys give this a read and leave a sweet review.**

**Also, the next part will be better and longer. It took a while for me to get into this.**

**I don't own Pretty Little Liars.**

Ezra Fitz smiled widely at his girlfriend, Aria Montgomery, who sat on the floor of his apartment, cross-legged. She leafed through a newspaper before glancing up at Ezra, whose eyes were trained on her. She narrowed her gaze at him.

"Why are you so happy?" He could sense a hint of worry in her voice, which brought on a fit of his laughter.

"Why can't a man be happy?" He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips found hers as he met her in a sweet, soft kiss. Aria didn't melt into it, as she normally did, and he could sense that something wasn't right.

"Aria, what's wrong?" He questioned as they pulled apart, looking his girlfriend in the face. She couldn't even bare to met his eyes, her telltale sign of hurt. She cleared her throat suddenly before lifting her chin up.

"You got a letter."

Ezra raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"And it's from your mother." Ezra hadn't heard from his mother in what felt like an eternity. His parents divorced when he was younger and his mother had become… very socially obsessed. She checked society columns everyday, spent hours perfecting her outfit for the newest ladies' tea, and dragged the two Fitz brothers to every luncheon possible. As soon as he could, Ezra moved out of his mother's glamorous house. Happily so.

"Why is she trying to reach me now?" Ezra glanced around his familiar Hollis apartment, almost as if in search of said letter. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I… I didn't mean to read it. I just… stumbled into it." Aria bent over to retrieve her dark brown purse. From it, she pulled forth a white pressed envelope that nearly reeked of Ezra's mother's perfume. Chanel No. 5. He simply always associated the scent with old lady.

He recognized his mother's familiar script on the cover of the envelope, reading 'Ezra Fitz' in a delicate cursive. He turned it over and reached in for the piece of stationary, with his mother's initials branded the front. He glanced one last time at Aria before beginning to read the letter.

_Dear my beloved Son,_

_I am sorry that I am writing to you like this, but I felt like a letter would serve as a better explanation than a long overdue phone call. Your brother actually gave me your new address in Rosewood, but don't be mad at him. It was all my doing. We haven't talked in a very long time and it pains me to say that the reason for this letter is our reconnection, but it is something you must know._

_Your father passed away. I know that is no excuse for all that has happened, but we both know he would want you out here for the funeral. Accompanied with this letter is the information on it. Your father's caretaker said that his last wish was to see you. He had suffered from heart disease, as you know, and went into cardiac arrest last week. I hope to see you soon._

_Love, Mom._

Ezra's heart nearly fell in his chest as his arm holding the letter dropped to his side. He glanced up at Aria, who wore a face full of concern. He cleared his throat before letting the letter drop and running a hand through his tousled dark locks.

"My dad died?" He asked, voice raising an octave. To Aria, it was almost as if he sounded like a little boy. It pained her to hear the hurt in his tone. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him against her chest.

"I'm going with you." She whispered into his ear as she ran her nails up and down his back and shoulder blades in sign of comfort. Ezra sighed from within her hold.

"You can't miss school… not for this." They pulled apart as Aria shook her head. Ezra had grown to love that look of determination in Aria Montgomery's hazel eyes. She was stubborn, to say the least, and when she wanted something, she got it. He knew there was no use putting up a fight with her about it. And he definitely didn't want to face his father's funeral alone.

Especially the complications that came along with the idea of his mother.

He groaned loudly at the thought.

"What's wrong?" Aria asked, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear. "Talk to me."

"I really didn't want you to meet my family this way." She kissed the tip of his nose and sighed contently.

"Well, you gotta start somewhere."

* * *

Ezra Fitz was less than excited to fly out to White Plains to see his family. He hadn't spoken to his mother since his graduation from Hollis; it's why he relocated to Pennsylvania anyway. To get away from the crazy. And Rosewood seemed like the perfectly remote town Ezra needed.

His old life had had… plenty of complications. Many of which he didn't want to burden on Aria. But he also knew that his brother would be there. Ezra and his brother had always had that simple relationship; they hung out, got along great, and even enjoyed frequent meetings to catch up on the other's life. He wanted Aria to meet him, to see another part of him that he'd never really opened up to anyone. But along with his old life came an old mistake, one he knew he'd have to face.

Blair Stanton was her name.

Ezra and Blair had dated in high school, and after graduating, they decided to give that whole long distance relationship a try. Ezra had left Blair… for none other than Jackie Molina. It had been so much easier for him to do so; Jackie was in Rosewood, Blair was in New York City. Jackie was the perfect girl to bring home to mother, while Blair was the wild card. Whenever you started to get a gist of her personality, she pulled a 360 and became someone completely different.

Ezra had been scared of the way Blair had made him feel… so he chose Jackie… safe, predictable Jackie.

And you can see how well that turned out.

Despite the fact that he knew his relationship with Aria was very safe and stable, he feared the sight of Blair. He knew she'd be there. They were childhood best friends, high school sweethearts, and their parents had been close, so close that they always joked about Ezra and Blair's future arrangements.

He could just picture her now; walking down the aisle of the church, dressed in all black, headed straight for his father's casket. He feared the moment when she'd step in front of him and offer her arms. He could almost hear her singsong voice say, 'my condolences. Oh my god, Ezzie' and hold him in her strong grip.

Aria had to go with him, he decided, to remind him that maybe leaving Blair for Jackie was the best possible decision.

If he hadn't left Blair, he might have moved to New York right out of college, never even meeting Aria.

Everything happened for a reason, he decided, even if the whole Jackie relationship didn't really turn out well.

He had Aria Montgomery, which was all he needed… right?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews! I really hope this story takes off. And here, you met Blair :)**

**Also, my version of Diane and Wesley Fitz are most likely different from those of the shows, so just putting that out there.**

**Enjoy :)**

"Ezra… are you okay?" Aria Montgomery wrapped her arm around her boyfriend, Ezra Fitz's torso, pulling him closer to her. His eyes were focused on something in the distance – maybe a person, or a cluster of people. They had stopped in the middle of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Aria had always loved traveling and something in her gut flipped and turned at the possibility of touring the city, her future home, but she knew that wasn't what they were there for. Ezra's father's services. He'd been awkward around Aria ever since he received the letter…

Or maybe just awkward in general.

"I'm fine, Aria. Really." Ezra murmured, snapping out of his trance. His underage girlfriend began to lead him towards the baggage carousel as he followed meekly behind. It hadn't even dawned on him yet that New York was like Philadelphia; no one knew he had been her teacher and no one knew she had been his student. His mind reeled at the thought… but then he stumbled upon the idea of telling his family.

"What are we going to tell them?" He asked tentatively as Aria grabbed her read duffle bag from off the baggage claim. She turned and glanced back at Ezra, shooting him a confused expression before turning back in search of his bag.

"Tell who what?" She asked, grabbing his own suitcase. It amazed him how she could function so well in stilettos. He eyed the three-inch heel on her boots before his mind reminded him of his current train of thought.

"About us… how we met?" He questioned as she handed him his luggage. The two then began to make their way towards the airport's entrance. He wondered if anyone would be waiting for them… then highly doubted it. He hadn't told anyone he was coming, save for Wesley, Ezra's brother. No one would know they were here.

Aria sighed before glancing up at Ezra and meeting his dark blue gaze.

"I don't know… I don't really want to lie to them." She whispered before they stepped out of the airport and into the busy departure lines of JFK Airport. "Why don't we just say… you worked with my father and that's how we met? It isn't that far from the truth, and if anything comes up about me still being at Rosewood High…" Ezra placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her line of speech.

"I doubt they'll ask… just say you go to Hollis… I'm sure you'll be fine lying."

Aria nearly burst out in laughter, but resulted in stifling her giggles. She was a much better liar then Ezra knew.

* * *

It hadn't been hard calling a taxi, at least for Aria when she'd go to Philadelphia. But she knew that New York City was different territory all together. Despite her flailing arms and her impatient attitude, they still didn't get a taxi until twenty minutes later when Ezra decided that maybe whistling might do the trick. And thankfully enough, it did suffice.

The drive from JFK to White Plains, Ezra's hometown, was only around 35 minutes, but with the added affect of commuter traffic, they arrived at Mrs. Fitz's home 45 minutes later than planed. But Aria was quite impressed.

Part of White Plains mirrored the idyllic Rosewood. Houses upon houses lined up in basic rows, proving to be the typical suburbia, but sitting on Main Street was a string of impressive buildings that gave the skyscrapers Aria was used to a run for their money. She noticed large retail areas submersed in the city life and wondered what vacationing there would provide for her in the future. She couldn't wait.

Ezra's mother lived in a very grand and upscale home at the end of a cul-de-sac. Her garden was impressive, especially for Aria, who came from Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where families battled over having the better garden. Trellises lined the garage and rose bush upon rose bush laid a pathway towards the front entrance.

As the couple stepped out in front of Mrs. Fitz's house, the smell of fragrant flowers in bloom tickled their noses and somehow, that small piece of wonder made the mood lighten dramatically. As Ezra pulled their luggage from the back of the taxi, Aria shot him a smile as she rubbed her hands together.

"Everything will be okay." And Ezra couldn't help but to believe her.

Aria walked up towards the front of the house, the back of her white dress flowing in the summer breeze as she reached for the doorbell. The glass door slowly shuffled open and standing before Aria was Diane Fitz, Ezra's mother.

Diane shot Aria a smile before pulling her into her arms. She smelled bitterly of perfume that nearly clogged Aria's nose, wiping out the sweet scent the flowers had provided her only minutes before. Mrs. Fitz pulled Aria back to place two kisses on each of her cheeks before grinning like mad.

"You must be Aria! Ezra told me he would be bringing a guest, but my, my, I didn't anticipate a guest this lovely! Do come in darling…" Diane's eyes soon settled on her oldest son as a grin spread across her cheeks. Ezra sighed as his mother wrapped her tight grip around him, just as she had with Aria, and kissed his head frantically. "Aw my little Ezra! You're so grown up, my dear! Rosewood has been good to you, hasn't it? Aw my baby!" She cried as Aria attempted not to laugh at the sight. Even Ezra couldn't help but to crack a smile – his mother was utterly ridiculous.

"Come in you two! Everyone is waiting." Ezra's face paled at the statement. _Everyone? _He only thought… his brother would be inside. Who else would he have to face?

As they entered the house, familiar sights spoke out to him; portraits of him and Wes as children lined the walls and Aria even grinned widely at the sight of his high school pictures on the impressive fireplace's mantel. And there, standing in the corner of the living room, was a boy only a few years older than Aria. He looked like Ezra, especially with his same jaw line and mouth. He was handsome, she noted, but not as handsome as his kinsmen. He smiled brightly at the sight of his older brother.

"Ezra!" Wes shouted, approaching the couple before taking his hand in Ezra's and clapping his back in the typical awkward 'bro' hug.

"Wes." Ezra grinned before turning to introduce Aria. "This is my girlfriend, Aria, and this is my brother, Wes." The two hugged before Ezra noticed a figure standing where Wes had been. His heart dropped and flipped in his chest as his eyes settled on her. Damn, she looked good.

Her brown hair was straightly styled down her back and stopped at her waist. She was skinny, but not as small as Aria. She was tall, plus with the added affect of her curvaceous body. Ezra could remember all the guys' reactions in high school; Blair was the girl they chased after. And he had had her.

Her brown eyes were big and warm, nearly taking him right back. She turned and smiled, almost right at him, and made his throat grow hoarse.

It felt like Ezra had been watching her for an eternity, when in reality, it was only a few seconds.

"Ezra, I'm sure you remember Blair. We're dating now." Wes spoke, wrapping his arm around Blair's tiny waist. She held a tumbler full of Scotch in hand and sipped it gingerly.

"Hi Ezzie." Her voice was like music, but it took him a while to process his brother's words.

"You two are dating?" He asked in disbelief. How could that have happened? Blair had been a bit of a wild child, yes, but she was smart, driven, and held a bright future ahead of her. Wes had always been the kid everyone thought would fail. Of course, his wonderful grades at Columbia could prove that stereotype wrong.

"Yes… Blair had come back here for Thanksgiving instead of going to her parents and well… one thing led to another. We actually just met for coffee a few times, but turns out, someone actually likes me." Wes smirked at Ezra who brought a small smile to his lips in return. He knew Blair's family life had been relatively shit for a long time now… but since when was she spending Thanksgiving with the Fitzes?

But the thing that bugged Ezra the most was that _she _was with _him. _Ezra loved his brother, of course, but she could do so much better. She had done so much better.

'You broke up with her,' Ezra thought as she turned to Aria and began introducing herself. That was one thing about Blair; she thrived in social situations. 'You broke up with her.'

"I'm Blair Stanton." She wrapped her arms around Aria in a quick embrace. "You are…?"

"Aria Montgomery."

Blair smiled at that.

"What a beautiful name! You did good, ending up with Ezzie over here." Ezra hadn't even realized it, but Blair was standing besides him now. She wrapped an arm around his neck and grinned like a child. "Always the smartest boy in his class. Do you want me to show her the video of you at the spelling bee?"

The whole group laughed before Aria finally spoke up, through the crowd.

"How do you two know each other?"

Ezra's blue eyes met Blair's brown ones as she grinned and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hmm, Ezra and I go way back… I guess you could say, it started in pre-school…"

Luckily enough, she never mentioned that they dated.

And Ezra wondered why.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to get this up! and I feel like it's short, so I apologize for that. I know a lot of you guys are sad that Blair's involved and how Ezra still seems attracted to her, but think of it like this; she's nothing more than what Noel or Jason was to Aria! I won't mess up with them too badly. And here you get to see, she's still human!**

**Also, sorry about the wait. I'm not sure how long a suitable time between chapters is, since this is my first ongoing fic. Enjoy!**

Aria Montgomery fiddled with her hands as she walked through the Fitz home, in her flannel pajama bottoms and Ezra's ratted old Hollis tee shirt. It was past midnight, and the funeral was tomorrow, but Aria couldn't sleep. Ezra had knocked out about two hours ago, while Aria had stared breathlessly at the wall, pretending to count sheep and really thinking about what the next day entailed… for both of them.

Aria was glad to be able to meet Ezra's mother and brother, both people whom he talked about often, but under the circumstances, she felt like shit. Ezra's dad was dead, while her dad hated his guts. Byron walked around, ignoring Ezra at every opportunity. If you dare even mention his name near Byron, he'd scrunch his face up like he was constipated. And Ezra's dad was dead.

She stopped at the fireplace, eyeing the photographs on the mantel once more. Ezra looked so little. He was her age there, she noted, his senior portrait. Aria thought back to her own class and wondered if she'd have dated Ezra, if he had gone to her school alongside her. _Yes, _she decided. _I would have_. But then she realized, you never really did know.

A pair of footsteps snapped her out of her reverie, as she turned around to see a figure coming down from the stairs. It was Blair Stanton; dressed much like Aria, in a pair of yoga pants and a baggy _Kings Of Leon _shirt. She sleepily wiped her eyes, swept her long hair into a ponytail, and stopped once she spotted Aria.

"Oh jeez. You scared me. I thought you were a ghost or something." Blair giggled, whispering as she stepped besides Aria, glancing at the frames she had been looking at. Aria laughed quietly in response.

"And I thought you were a murderer."

The two stood in silence before Aria spoke again.

"So, you knew Ezra in high school? What was he like?"

Blair sighed deeply, running a hand along the three studs placed delicately in her ear before formulating an answer.

"He was… exactly the same. Except he acted as if he was on Ritalin occasionally… but that was only sometimes. He got real mature senior year and really started thinking 'bout the future. It was kind of amazing to see how he changed. Despite being a goofball, he was always real serious when it came to his schoolwork though. Always knew what he wanted." Blair shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. "He was a great guy. Hell, he still is."

Aria nodded, brushing a strand of her own dark hair behind her ear.

She wasn't stupid. She could sense the melancholy in Blair's voice and knew that they must have had a thing. It was only logical. Besides, she'd told Ezra all about the guys she'd met in Iceland. And about the Jason thing... and the Noel thing. He had shared his own story about Jackie… and though she never thought about it, she knew there had to have been women before her.

And now, she realized, that was Blair.

"You're good for him." Aria eyed Blair with a look of confusion, raising an eyebrow at her. "You're a smart girl – well read, cultured. Way better than Jackie." Both girls shared another laugh.

"You met her?"

Blair smirked, nodding. "Ezra brought her home one Christmas break. My family life was hell, so I usually stayed up in the City around holidays but I came down that once because Wes invited me… to be honest, the kid always liked me, and I thought, 'what the heck? Might as well meet her'. So I came down and there she was, in all her kitten heel, cashmere sweater glory. And she tried to micromanage everything. Even told Ezra where to sit at the dinner table. And man, I felt sorry for her. She was jealous of _everyone. _Even Diane and Wes. If Ezra spent too much time with his brother instead of her, she'd get angry and stay outside by herself. Threw a bitch fit just to get his attention."

Aria chuckled, shaking her head at the thought.

"That's just like Jackie… you know, she tried to sabotage our relationship? My father never really… approved. And she said if I didn't stay away from Ezra, she'd go run off and tell my dad everything. So I believed her… and I-I just stayed away from him. But then we decided to confront my parents and tell them everything about us together, before they heard it from her. And yeah, they were pissed as hell at me, but my mother has come around. And my father, well…" Aria shrugged. "can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Blair laughed.

"Sounds familiar… my dad was the same way. And I think you guys are really cute… despite everything."

Aria's heart pounded in her chest. What did she mean, '_despite everything_'? What was she referring to?

Blair's dark eyes met Aria's green ones and she smiled sweetly. "I know how you guys met. I sort of… coerced it out of him. Well, not really. Honestly, you know what? Screw Jackie. Bitches like her don't get anywhere. They think they're all high and mighty because of their Chloe wrap dresses and designer day planners, but they're just gonna fall. People like that, people that treat people cruelly, all get theirs in the end."

Aria couldn't help but to think of Alison. And how far she'd fallen.

She shivered, but not from the cold.

"How did it end?" She squeaked, her voice barely a whisper. She hated how small she sounded then, but she really did want to know. Why did Ezra and Blair call it quits?

Blair sighed, grabbing a pair of boots from a nearby closet. She stuffed them on her feet and tucked her pants inside.

"He ended it with me. Because I went to NYU and he went to Hollis… the whole long distance thing was tough." She walked towards the entrance hall, grabbing a set of car keys from off a table before stopping and glancing back at Aria over shoulder. "And because of Jackie."

Aria's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

_Jackie? _

In another dimension, Aria could actually see her and Blair becoming friends. She lived in the City, was an English major in college, worked part time at Barnes and Noble while she tried to get her book picked up by a publishing company (all information supplied by a bragging Diane at dinner). Blair was everything Aria wanted to become… and Ezra had left _her _for _Jackie?_

"Jackie was… safe." She explained, stopping at the front door and turning back to Aria. "Ezra's father, he never really liked me. Said I was too… dangerous. Confident. You know how conservative old men are – they like their women subdued… to be able to tell them what to do and boss them around. I had a mind of my own… and at the end of the day, under that layer of superficial bitch, Jackie doesn't."


End file.
